Combustion chamber for internal combustion engines



Aug. 9, 1932.

G. M. BICKNELL 1,870,397

COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed July 12, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 w 4 I 20 g.

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Aug. 9, 1932. G. M. BICKNELL 1,370,397

COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed July 12. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 GEORGE M. BICKNELL.

INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 9, 1932 PATENT OFFICE GEORGE E. BIOKNEIJII, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Application filed July 12, 1929. Serial No. 377,645.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and particularly to the provision of a combustion chamber of an improved design; the invention also relates to valve cool- 6 ing arrangement for such engines. The in vention is especially adapted to four-cycle internal combustion engines of the overhead valve type, though not necessarily limited to such structure. 1

'10 Heretofore, diificulty has been experienced 2 directly to the ame during the exhaust cycle,

and since the only paths of escape for the heat are through the seat and stem of the valve, the heads of these valves sometimes become unduly hot or even incandescent, resulting in deterioration of the metal and pre-ignition and detonation of the chargethat is to say, the center of the exhaust valve head becomes heated to such a temperature that the charge would become ignited by contact with it before the desired point for ignition had been reached in the cycle.

It is also known to those skilled in the art that difiiculty has been experienced in cooling the exhaust valves sufficiently without at the same time over-cooling the inlet valve. It is the custom in constructing engines of this type to form the cylinder head integral with the water jacket and to make the combined head and jacket of a generally rectangular shape. It is desirable to have a greater volume of coolin water adjacent the exhaust valve and its gui e than that adjacent the inlet valve. In previous constructions, it has been diflicult to obtain this arrangement and still keep the desired rectangular shape for the cylinder head, owing to the valve hieads being located substantially in the same p ane.

It is an object of this invention to produce a c0mbu st1on chamber for internal combustion engines in which the main part of the volume w1ll be concentrated in a part of the chamber which is comparatively cool-in other words, to concentrate the volume of the combustion chamber adjacent the coolest parts of its walls. It will be understood, of course, that the Walls of the chamber include the heads of the inlet and exhaust valves as well as the top of the piston.

It Is a further object of this invention to produce an internal combustion engine of a valve-in-head type having greater volume of cooling fiuid adjacent the exhaust valve then that adjacent the intake valve. v

It is a further object of this invention to produce an anti-detonating cylinder head of Timplified construction for valve-in-head inets.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a cylinder head for internal combus-f tion engines in which substantially all of the combustible change will be confined in a comparatively cool part of the combustion chamber at the instant combustion begins.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, referring to which: v

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an'ine ternal combustion engine taken along the line 1 11 of Figure 2 looking in the direction the arrows.

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the" cylinder head of the engine shown in Figure 1, the head being that portion above the ends of the cylinder shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the cylinder head shown in Figure 2 taken along the line 3-3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

e 4 is a sectional elevation of the pistons 3 having connecting rods 4. The pistons and connecting rods operate 1n a con:-

ventional manner well known in the art.

A cylinder head is provided comprising an outer wall 5 and an inner'.wall 6. The;head is detachable along-the line indicated lat-7 and is secured in place with convent onal bolts and gaskets (not shown). Each cylw the head of the-exhaust valve and the top inder is provided with 'afuel valve 8 andan exhaust valve 9. These valves are mounted in ides IOiiiiid'll, respectively.

he head is providedwith inlet ports 12 and an exhaust 'port 13. These ports have valve seats 14andi15, respectively, on which are seated the-heads of the valves. The wall 6, which is adjacent the ends of the cylinders 2, is substantially flat with the exception of the pockets 16. These pockets form the compression chamber for the? cylinders, the pistons traversing substantially the full length of the cylinder so that when they are-in their upwardposition',--ther'e isjonly a small clearance SlllfiClGIlt for'ftolerai1ce 1n manufacturin betweeri' the piston and the wall 6.

%lonventional spark plugs 17 are provided and these are Iocated'in the combustion chamber adj acent the inlet valve so that the inflowing fuel as must flow directl over the" terminal's o the's'parkplugs; .T e inlet valves in adjacent cyl ndersfare located on o posite sides of-the-centen-so that-there will" e two exhaustports adjacent and-two'inlet ports adjacent-to reduce/the number of manifold p .valye-in-head type, a cylinder head 'of sub- .stantialrectan rular 'cross'zsection, said head having-inletand 4 4 carried b ,-saidhead-and contro ling-said ;por ts, .poc ets in saidhead forming combus- ,tibn chambers, said inlet valves;being mount- .ed in said-pockets, and said exhaustvalves gbeihig mounted flush with the surface of said hea v a Y 2. -'In an: internal combustion engine of the connections." This arran ement is more-or less conventional and nee not be further described. y l 8 The exhaust valve9 attheleft of Figure 1 is shown'iii open position; It will be iioted that this is inthe'path of the piston 3 in that cylinder. This, however, is not'adisadvantage,. for the reason that the exhaust;- valve opens and closes at a time whn-thepi'ston-is not at the upper end of the cylinder. Inthe z usual four-cycle operation,- the exhaustvalve begins to open when the piston is approaching the lower limit of its travel on the exlosionstroke, and it begins to'closel-agaln uring the latter part'ofgthe exhaust stroke, beinglsubstantiallyclosed by the time theipiston has reached the upper limit of its travel.

There is alsmall operating clearance and manufacturing tolerance provided, but the main' art of the movement of the exhaust valve ead is in the path that is traversed by the piston at other points in the cycle.

It will be understood that the usual valve operatingmeans such as springs, cam shaft,

for o erating the valve in the proper manner, but tis is not shown for the reason that any conventional means may be used for the purpose Thereis only a thin layer of gas between of theopiston, as indicated at 19. The 'at- 'est heat of combustion" occurs "immediately afterthe explosion and before the piston has had time to recede to any great extent from its position adj acent the to of the 'cylinder andthe head of the ex aust valve. Thus, it will be seenthatthe exhaust valve will notibe exposed' ;fo'r so long-an interval to' the heat of 'combustionas the intake valve and the other arts of the combustion chamber. It will understood that the inlet .valve iscooled by theinflowing fuel. gas, and-there is no necessity for protecting-it. "fromf-the heat of'combustion.

, The mounting of the inlet valve in a puck- ,et with the exhaust valveflush'with the top of the cylinder; permits the formation 'of'the larger water space 20 abovethe exhaust'yalve an around the comparatively long exhaust 'valveguides 11 andfla smaller water s ace 21 above the inlet valve with shorter inlet valve guides 10.

I claim: 1. ln an internal combustion engine of the exhaust ports, po'p et valves valve-in-head'type, a cylinder, a cylinder ,head having a pocket therein, said pocket being. of suitable-size, tojform a combustion chamber;for-the cylinder, said pocketbein' in unrestricted constant-communication wit lthe cylinder and having its largest cross-sectional area in the plane in which it joins the cylinder an .exhaust valve' carried by said head; at a point spaced from said pocket, a spark plug carried by said head and extending into said po'cket.' 3. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, a combustion chamber, a piston operatp ing in said cylinder, inlet and exhaust valves, or other conventional apparatus are provided for said combustion chamber, said exhaust Fuel is 'drawn shown .in the"centr'al cylinder in Figure 1. I

The operation of the device is as follows: .7 v

valve being so mounted that the to of the piston in its upward position will closely adjacent the head of the exhaust valve in its closed position, said combustion chamher having a pocket the volume of said combustion chamber eing disposed chiefly in said pocket, said exhaust valve being mounted at a point spaced from said pocket and said inlet valve being mounted in said pocket.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature this 10th day of Jul 1929.

GEOR E M. BICKNELL. 

